Compound telescope with a stationary primary objective mirror having movable collectors

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a novel land based reflecting telescope having a stationary, equatorially mounted, segmented mirror comprised of a plurality of movable mirrored collectors. These movable collectors are arranged in hexagonal groups to form a multiple mirrored reflector, which comprises the stationary compound telescope. A secondary mirror mounted atop a tower at the focal point directs the image toward the observation cart. Observers ride the periphery of the stationary mirror at a rate of one revolution per day. A retractable air supported hypalon cover protects the large primary mirror structure.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates primarily to optical telescopes, and moreparticularly to a compound telescope including a stationary primarymirror having movable collectors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In 1608, a Dutch optician named Hans Lippershey was the first to inventthe telescope. The great Italian scientist Galileo Galilei, who becamethe first man to see the craters of the moon, and who went on todiscover sunspots, the four large moons of Jupiter, and the rings ofSaturn, introduced it to astronomy in 1609. Galileo's telescope wassimilar to a pair of opera glasses because it used an arrangement ofglass lenses to magnify objects. This arrangement provided limitedmagnification, of about 30 times for Galileo, as well as a narrow fieldof view. Galileo was able to see only a fraction of the moon's facewithout the need for repositioning his telescope.

It was in 1704 that Newton announced a new concept in telescope designwhereby a curved mirror, instead of glass lenses, was used to gather inlight and reflect it back to a point of focus. This reflecting mirroracts like a light-collecting container: the bigger the container, themore light it can collect. Newton's novel reflector telescope designopened the door for magnifying distant objects thousands of times, farbeyond what could ever be obtained with a lens.

There were many modifications to the method of focusing over the nexttwo centuries, but Newton's fundamental principle of using a singlecurved mirror to gather in light remained unchanged.

In the mid-1920s, the results obtained from the Mount WilsonObservatory's 100-inch telescope demonstrated the need for a largerinstrument if further advances in astronomical research were to berealized. It was the vision of astronomer George Ellery Hale toconstruct a 200-inch telescope. It was in 1934 that Palomar Mountain wasselected as the site for the new instrument.

Thus, the Hale telescope, a telescope with a monolithic reflectingmirror, was soon to become a reality. Using Hale's approach presented anumber of technical problems. A reflecting mirror, 200-inch (5 meters)in diameter would require an elaborately complex structural supportsystem to keep it from collapsing under its own enormous weight. Inaddition, the larger a mirror's surface, the thicker it must be in orderto withstand gravitational effects that could alter its shape. And, asthe size is increased, so does the cost of the mirror, until it becomesexorbitant.

The telescope structure, whose construction began in 1928, was nearlycompleted by 1941 when the United States entered World War II. But thewar delayed polishing of the mirror, and it was not until Nov. 20, 1947,that the finished mirror was finally installed in the telescope onPalomar Mountain.

The major change that took place was the growth in the size of thereflecting mirror, from the 6-inch mirror used by Newton to the 6-meter(236 inches in diameter) mirror of the Special Astrophysical Observatoryin Russia, which opened in 1974.

The main reason astronomers build larger telescopes is to increaselight-gathering power so that they can see deeper into the universe.Unfortunately, the cost of constructing larger single-mirror telescopesincreases rapidly, approximately with the cube of the diameter of theaperture. Thus, in order to achieve the goal of increasinglight-gathering power while keeping costs down, it has become necessaryto explore new, more economical and nontraditional telescope designs.The American-built Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT), located at theWhipple Observatory in Arizona, represents such an effort.

Since 1979, completely new and radical designs for astronomicaltelescopes have emerged. The Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT), at WhippleObservatory, was the prototype, both technically and institutionally,for the next generation of large telescopes. The MMT was the world'sfirst large-scale multiple mirror telescope, which used the combinedlight of six 72-inch reflecting paraboloid mirrors mounted in a singleframework; where the light from all the mirrors is concentrated into asingle focus. The mirrors, being under computer control, areautomatically aligned at regular intervals.

The concept for using an ensemble of segmented mirrors dates back to the19th century, but experiments with it had been few and small, and manyastronomers doubted its viability. It remained for the Keck Telescope topush the technology forward and bring into reality this innovativedesign.

The Keck telescope is a 400-inch (10-meter) multi-mirror telescope thatis comprised of 36 contiguous, adjustable mirror segments, all undercomputer control. It is now the largest reflector in the world and isused for both optical and infrared observations. The Keck telescope issituated on Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii, which is the site of manymajor telescopes because its viewing conditions are the finest of anyEarth-based observatory. This site lies at an elevation almost twicethat of any other major observatory. Because it is above 40 percent ofthe Earth's atmosphere, there is less intervening atmosphere to obscurethe light from distant stellar objects.

Even larger multimirror instruments are currently being planned byAmerican and European astronomers.

The following prior art discloses the various aspects in the design ofthe large telescopes in use today.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,798, granted Nov. 27, 1984, to H. Howden, disclosesa method of manufacturing a multiple mirror reflector for land-basedtelescopes. At least one series of identical segments are mounted on arigid support to form a large primary reflector with each segmentforming a part of the total profile. Each segment includes an accuratelyprofiled reflective metal layer bonded to a concave surface of asubstrate by an adhesive layer: The layer is formed on the appropriatesubstrate surface by transfer replication.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,684, granted Oct. 11, 1988, to T. Schmidt-Kaler,discloses a very large optical telescope for observing light phenomenain the wavelength region of about 0.3 to 30 or even to 300 Um. Torealize a very large filled aperture it is proposed to arrangecomparatively few individual reflectors around a central monolith, whichcan be individually adjusted optically to the central monolith whichgives the reference wave front, by means of an adjustment device and/orbright starts. In this way manufacturing, polishing and transport ofvery large primary reflectors can be handled. Further deformations dueto wind loads, temperature variations and other influences can be easilycompensated. The primary reflector is carried by a yoke with the focusof the secondary mirror being in or near the elevation axis so that theusual mirror cell becomes superfluous, the beam moves only slowly withelevation and heavy instrumentation can be put directly near the focus.

Presently, the above prior art teaches of land based telescopes havinglarge movable primary mirror structures.

What is needed is a large telescope that utilizes a stationary,segmented primary mirror. In this regard, the present invention fulfilsthis need.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for areflector telescope having a stationary, segmented primary mirror.

It is another object of the present invention to provide for a reflectortelescope having a stationary, segmented primary mirror that is set inthe equatorial position (for the Northern Hemisphere) to point at theNorth Star at the latitude position of its location.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide for areflector telescope having a stationary, segmented primary mirror thatis set in the equatorial position (for the Northern Hemisphere) to pointat the North Star at the latitude position of its location, therebykeeping the latitude constant. The Southern Cross would serve as areference in the southern hemisphere.

It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide for areflector telescope having a means for traversing the primary mirrorperimeter, such as a cart with eyepieces that travels on the perimeterof the stationary primary mirror at a rate of one revolution per day tofollow the primary image.

These as well as other objects and advantages of the present inventionwill be better understood and appreciated upon reading the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiment when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel land based reflecting telescopehaving a stationary, equatorially mounted, segmented mirror comprised ofa plurality of movable mirrored collectors. These movable collectors arearranged in groups to form a multiple mirrored reflector, whichcomprises the stationary compound telescope. This novel segmentedarrangement is so designated as the Popil Stationary EquatorialExpandable (PSEE) telescope system.

The longest and heaviest portion of the present invention is theobjective lens, which is stationary. The eyepieces are movable to themost convenient place of the observers, around the periphery of the ofthe large stationary objectives lenses that transmits the image bysmaller mirrors or prisms to the observer or to an electronic receiver.Also, this image can be picked up and transmitted to an interior screenor television. All of the auxiliary instruments, such as thespectroscope the radiometer, and photometry move around the periphery ofthe large stationary mirror with the eyepiece; Thereby renderingsimultaneous normal observation concurrent with measurement performed bythe auxiliary instruments or the transmitted image on the interiorscreen.

Eliminating the large cumbersome mechanical equipment required to movethe thousands of tons of heavy expensive equipment can attain large costsavings. Instead, of “riding the tube” as is done at Mt. Palomar, theobservers that ride the cart of the present invention, glide on tracksaround the periphery surface of the large objective mirrors in movablecomfortable carts with more stability and at far less cost.Alternatively, data emitted from the primary segmented mirror can beviewed on the interior screen described above. A cost savings of over80% can result when a comparison is made to the existing state of theart telescopes.

Another large saving can be made by eliminating most of the cost of thehigh structural metal and masonry walls of a typical observatory. About30 feet of wall height would be sufficient for isolating and housing thetelescope of the present invention.

The costly rotatable structural metal dome roof with its retractablemetal section would be replaced with a flexible hypalon materialretractable roof that is air supported that would be more functional.Ancillary buildings can be added as needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is pictorially illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings that are attached herein.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the PSEE macro telescope system accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a schematic view of the PSEE macro telescope system accordingto the present invention, wherein a video camera is positioned at thefocal point of the primary collecting mirror.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the schematically shown, stationary, segmentedmultireflector, primary mirror of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the schematically shown, hexagonal clustersegment of the primary mirror.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an individual mirror reflector illustrating theplacement of the support means of FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 4A is a side view of an individual mirror reflector illustratingthe placement of three screw jacks for the support means of FIGS. 2 and3, wherein the screw jacks communicate with sensors fixed on the mirrorsegment via a computer.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an individual mirror reflector illustrating theplacement of the support means shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5A is a plan view of an individual mirror reflector illustratingthe placement of three screw jacks for the support means shown in FIG.4A showing the re-alignment sensors fixed on the mirror segment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the air supported retractable hypalonroof shown in the closed position.

FIG. 7 is a table giving the Performance Comparison of the PSEE vs.existing telescopes, giving the light gathering, resolving power andresolution.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Of all the tools and instruments of science, there is none so grand orenduring as the telescope. By observing the heavens, a telescope bringsus images of the past that say much about the present and provide cluesabout the future.

In FIG. 1, there is shown the large stationary telescope system 10. Thelarge primary mirror 15 is set in the equatorial position to point atthe North Star (for the Northern Hemisphere) at the latitude position ofits location. Because of the rotation of the earth on its axis, thelatitude is now constant. The angle-of-tilt 20, conforms to the latitudeat the telescope site. By installing the large multi-objective lens inthe equatorial position, it is always in synchronous latitude forviewing from earth, as it has been doing for the past billion years. Sowe can merely pick up this view by picking up the longitude with theeyepiece. Heretofore, all conventional telescopes have been movinghundreds of tons of telescope, mechanical equipment and heavy glassobjectives. This invention obviates the need for such heavy devices.Each mirror segment is includes a waffle rib formation to keep the glassthickness to 2 inches, so that the lenses can adapt more rapidly totemperature changes.

Determining the longitude is achieved by running the observation cart25, which glides upon the circular track 30 around the perimeter of thestationary primary mirror 15. The cart traverses the perimeter at a rateof one revolution per day to follow the primary image.

The observer eyepieces 35 are mounted on cart 25 and are trained at thesecondary mirror 40 that is mounted upon the top of tower 45; Or, theimage can be projected to an interior screen.

All the auxiliary instruments (not shown), such as the spectroscope,radiometer, and thermocouple move on the cart around the periphery ofthe primary cart. Normal observations and auxiliary instruments may beused simultaneously or individually.

Referring now to FIG. 1A, a video camera 80 is positioned on the tower45 to obtain data emitted from the primary collecting mirror 15 and tobroadcast or otherwise promulgate that data to various receivers asrequired. Use of the camera 80 provides the capability for obtaininginformation concerning dim objects of deep space, which the human eye iscannot discern.

There is shown in FIG. 2, a plan view the unique compound design of thestationary primary mirror 15. This unique design is comprised of 19hexagonal groupings, where each hexagonal group 50 consists of 7 movablemirrors 55, giving a total of 133 reflective surfaces. Twelvesupplementary mirrors 60 are added optionally to expand and complementthe array, thereby increasing the total number of movable segments to145. FIG. 3 details a single hexagonal group 50 of the array 15.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the mirrors 55 or 60 supported preferably by fourindividually adjustable, motorized screw jacks 65, although athree-point support, shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A can be used alternatively.The screw jacks can be wired directly or with wireless actuators.

And, as further shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, the alignment system consistsof eighty-four electronic sensors 82 mounted on the edges of each mirror55, and 580 individual, motor-driven adjusting mechanisms that arecalled “position actuators.” These actuators or screw jacks 65 areconnected to the back of each mirror, where four or preferably threeactuators 65 are used per mirror. The actuators 65 are electricallyenergized either by direct wiring or by means of wireless actuation.

Because of that large number of screw jacks used and the need forfrequent adjustment to maintain stable operation, a computerized systemmay be used to perform automatic adjustment. In FIGS. 4A and 5A, eachmirror segment 55 includes one or more sensors 82 configured for sensingthe alignment of each segment in relation to its adjacent segments.Thus, each mirror segment further includes an associated means foradjusting in communication with computer 84 connected to the sensors 82of each mirror segment 55 for an instantaneous alignment and continuousre-alignment of each segment in relation to its adjacent segments.

It is known that polishing a segment of a parabolic curve is practicallyimpossible, the mirror segment would give a consequent wave-like, (oruneven), shape. However, polishing a segment of a sphere is quiteroutine. Hence, each mirror surface is polished to a spherical profile,then to a parabola. An outside perimeter of each mirror is round. And,while there are spaces between the mirror segments, no dark spots willappear on the reflecting mirror.

Because of the immense size of the mirror, a dome covering it would beexcessively costly because of the immense weight of a conventional dome.In the preferred embodiment, FIG. 6 shows perspectively a view of theair supported retractable hypalon, flexible roof 70 shown in the closedposition. A wall 75 of about 30 feet in height would be sufficient forisolating and housing the telescope of the present invention.

FIG. 7 gives the Performance Comparison Data of the PSEE telescope basedon light gathering vs. existing telescopes; the light gathering, themagnification and resolving power is thus tabulated.

There can be no doubt that this novel telescope will make possible manyimprovements in astronomic data.

It should be appreciated and understood that the preceding detaileddescription is for example only. There may be other modifications,deviations, and improvements made, however, without departing from thetrue spirit of the present invention.

1. A land based reflecting telescope comprising: a stationary, segmentedprimary collecting mirror; said segmented mirror including a pluralityof movable mirrored collectors selectively positioned in a parabolicarray; a secondary mirror positioned at a focal point of the collectingmirror parabolic array; an at least one observer eyepiece on a perimeterof the collecting mirror and trained at the secondary mirror, wherein aparabolized magnification is achieved without any large movable primarymirror structure; further comprising a means for traversing thecollecting mirror perimeter including a cart bearing the at least oneobserver eyepiece is advanced on a track positioned on the perimeter ofthe collecting mirror.
 2. A compound telescope comprising: a stationaryprimary mirror comprising a plurality of movable collectors, eachmounted on at least one motor driven adjusting mechanism; wherein theplurality of movable collectors is shaped as a parabola; a secondarymirror suspended at a focal point of the primary mirror; an observereyepiece trained at the secondary mirror; means for synchronizing aposition of the observer eyepiece with a rotation of the earth; andmeans for automatically adjusting each of the moveable collectors tomaintain an alignment of said collectors.
 3. A land based reflectingtelescope comprising: a stationary, segmented primary collecting mirror;said generated mirror including a plurality of moveable mirroredcollectors selectively positioned in a parabolic array; a secondarymirror positioned at a focal point of the collecting mirror parabolicarray; and, an at least one observer eyepiece located at a perimeter ofthe collecting mirror and trained at the secondary mirror, wherein aparabolized magnification is achieved without any large moveable primarymirror structure; and wherein a cart bearing the at least one observereyepiece is advanced on a track positioned on the perimeter of thecollecting mirror for traversing a perimeter of the collecting mirror.4. The land based reflecting telescope in accordance with claim 3,wherein the cart is advanced at a rate of one revolution per day tofollow a primary image of the telescope.
 5. The land based reflectingtelescope in accordance with claim 4, wherein the movable collectors ofthe parabolic array are arranged in a plurality of hexagonal groups. 6.The land based reflecting telescope in accordance with claim 5, whereinthe array includes nineteen hexagonal groups.
 7. The land basedreflecting telescope in accordance with claim 6, wherein each hexagonalgroup includes seven movable mirrors.
 8. The land based reflectingtelescope in accordance with claim 7, the array further including aplurality of supplementary movable mirrors to expand and complement thearray.
 9. The land based reflecting telescope in accordance with claim8, wherein the array includes twelve supplementary movable mirrors. 10.The land based reflecting telescope in accordance with claim 9, whereinthe telescope is equatorially mounted in the northern hemisphere. 11.The land based reflecting telescope in accordance with claim 10, whereinthe secondary mirror is mounted on a tower positioned near the primarymirrors.
 12. The land based reflecting telescope in accordance withclaim 11, wherein each of the movable mirrored collectors is supportedon a plurality of screw jacks.
 13. The land based reflecting telescopein accordance with claim 12 further comprising an alignment systemincluding a plurality of electronic sensors mounted on each of thehexagonal segments.
 14. The land based reflecting telescope inaccordance with claim 13, wherein the plurality of electronic sensorsare in communication with the screw jacks of the mirrored collectors andwith a computer for an automatic adjustment of each mirror.
 15. The landbased reflecting telescope in accordance with claim 14, wherein theprimary mirror is tilted at an angle which conforms to a telescope sitelatitude.
 16. The land based reflecting telescope in accordance withclaim 15, further comprising a flexible plastic for protecting thetelescope from adverse elements and the like.
 17. The land basedreflecting telescope in accordance with claim 16, wherein the covercomprises an air supported, retractable roof.
 18. The land reflectingtelescope in accordance with claim 17, wherein the cover is fabricatedof hypalon material.
 19. The land based reflecting telescope inaccordance with claim 18, wherein the hypalon cover is supported by awall that surrounds the primary collecting mirror.